Improvement in gas-retorts



Unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HANLON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-RETORTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,820, dated December15, 1874; applieatior filed December 7, 1874.

CASE B.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, J OHN HANLON, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in theApparatusfor the Manufacture of Gas, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of my invention. Fig. 2 is the same, with the uppershell removed. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of one of the pipes.Fig. 4 represents the twisted diaphragm which forms the spiral groovesthrough the pipes.

My invention relates to that class of gas apparatus used for themanufacture of carbureted hydrogcn gas for illuminating purposes; and itconsists in the construction of the retort, as hereinafter described andexplained.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my inr'entioin'lwill proceed to describe the particular manner in which I have carriedit out.

Heretofore such rctorts have been constructed with flat orhorizontalbottoms, coming in direct contact with the furnace, and when subjectedto a continuous intense heat these bottoms are caused to sag, and thusbecome seriously injured, if not entirely destroyed, or their repairinvolves a heavy expenditure of money and a great loss of time. Toovercome this serious objection is one of the objects of my invention.

In the drawings, A represents a half-cylindrical retort to be properlysecured in a furnace constructed of brick-work or other suitablemasonry. The portions 1) b of the bottom of the retort are to rest onthe solid masonry in the usual manner of constructing furnaces, whilethe central portion B is arched or curved to correspond to the uppercurve of the retort, as shown in Fig. 1. This central curved portion ofthe bottom is made to rest on an arch fitting therein, and constructedof firebrick or other suitable material.

It is evident that a retort thus constructed cannot sag or otherwiseyield to the influence of intense heat, vwhile the arched form of thecentral portion B secures the greatest heat to the retort with the leastamount of heatingsurface, thus effecting a great economy in fuel.

The front plate C, Fig. 1, is secured to the body of the retort byscrews or any convenient means, which will allow it to be readilyremoved or detached when desired. In this plate are openings 0 c, and tothese openings are rigidly secured the open pipes d 61, extending nearlyto the opposite end of the retort, as shown in Fig. 2. These pipes attheir rear ends "open into the retort, while their front ends open intoan ordinary chamber formed in the head of the retort-mot shown, as itconstitutes no part of my invention.

It is evident that by simply detaching and removing the plate U thepipes d d can be withdrawn from the retort, thus securing a ready andeasy means for cleaning the retort and pipes. Each of the pipes 61 d isdivided into two spiral grooves by means of the twisted diaphragm epassing through it and snugly fitting the bore of the pipe. The objectof forming these spiral grooves is to cause the gas to travel a longerdistance in its passage through and out of the retort, and thus, bykeeping it longer in contact with the heat of the retort, secure a moreperfect conversion of the hydrocarbon into a fine illuminatinggas.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: The retort having beenproperly heated the hydrocarbon liquid is allowed to enter the retortthrongh opening f in the top and near the front, and is transformed bythe heat into carbureted hydrogen, which,fillingthe heated retort, onlyfinds an exit through the pipes d d, entering these pipes at the rearend of the retort, and, passing through the spiral grooves therein,escapes into the ordinary receptacle provided for the purpose.

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The retort A, of a carbureter, constructed with the outer horizontalportions 1) b, and having the central portion of the bottom B curved orarched, in combination with the detachable plate 0 and the open pipes at(I, provided with the twisted diaphragm a, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

JOHN HANLON. Witnesses I. H. PEEROE, WILL H. MOXON.

